Watch This: The Sad State Of Country Music In 2013

Listen, I love me some fun, thoughtless country party songs as much as the next girl (emphasis on the word “girl,” which is the closest thing to a name most male country artists will deign to call a woman), but over the past year, as bro country has exploded and completely taken over the charts, I’ve found myself growing bored and depressed by it. The sheer lack of women’s voices on country radio is upsetting enough; what’s worse is that the vast majority of the bro country tunes that dominate the airwaves are basically leftovers of the same song microwaved, sprinkled with casual misogyny, and served on a slightly different platter. Don’t believe me? Check out this video by Entertainment Weekly country critic Grady Smith.

Smith made the video as a response to criticism he faced for not including enough “mainstream” artists on his spectacularly diverse Best Country Albums of 2013 list (seriously, read that list). The list skimmed over most of the mega-selling bro country albums because, as Smith explains on YouTube, “when they’re the only flavor available, they get old very, very fast.” Even as a huge Luke Bryan/Jake Owen/Jason Aldean fan, I totally agree with Smith that country fans deserve better in 2014. [YouTube]

Leolah Brown, sister to Bobby Brown and aunt to Bobbi Kristina was kicked out of her niece’s funeral yesterday after verbally lashing at Pat Houston Bobbi Kristina’s former manager as well as sister-in-law to Bobbi Kristina’s mother Whitney Houston. Phew. That was a mouthful.